


Hello Darlin’

by vangogh_hoe



Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types
Genre: Caring Dallas Winston, Conway Twitty Saves the Day, Dancing, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Soft Dallas, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:40:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28706067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vangogh_hoe/pseuds/vangogh_hoe
Summary: More Dallyboy content because I was deprived.
Relationships: Ponyboy Curtis/Dallas Winston
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36





	Hello Darlin’

Ponyboy ran out of the house, face tender and stinging from when Darry had smacked him. He held back tears as he paced the empty sidewalk, heading nowhere in particular. He knew Johnny would still be in the lot, but right now Ponyboy just wanted to be alone.

He dug his hands into his jean pockets and hunched his shoulders against the cold, wishing not for the first time that night he had worn a jacket. 

The events of the night raced through his mind no matter how hard he tried not to think about them. But his efforts were fruitless; he couldn't shake the feelings of shame and heartbreak. If his folks were still around...If Darry didn't hate him...

Ponyboy's heart sank to his stomach, his head pounding his eyes from holding back tears. He sat down, defeated, under a streetlight outside of Wally's Drugs. 

Resting his elbows on his knees, Ponyboy bowed his head and closed his eyes, and tried his best to focus on his breathing. But, the longer he sat there the more he started seething with anger. It wasn't his fault mom and dad died. it wasn't his fault Darry had to put his whole future on hold to take care of him and Soda. Ponyboy didn't ask for any of it. And all Darry ever did was make him feel so fucking guilty all the time. 

Ponyboy's fingernails started to draw blood from how tightly he clenched his fists. His knee started bouncing and his teeth felt like they could break from how hard he was biting down. His heart pounded and his skin felt too tight and all he could think about was how unfair everything was. His parents didn't deserve to die and he didn't deserve to lose them and greasers don't deserve the shit they're dealt and the socs don't deserve any of the breaks they get and—

"Fuck!" Ponyboy screamed into the cool night air as his fist slammed down into the concrete below him. 

"Ponyboy? That you?" 

Great, just what he needed—company. 

Dallas Winston emerged from the shadows of a nearby alleyway. "What're you doin' out here, kid?" 

"I could ask you the same thing," he scowled. 

"Fair enough... Now, come on, let's go." 

"What?"

"Do you no speak fucking English? Let's _go_." 

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Ponyboy spit, turning his head away. 

"Okay kid, you've got two options: One, I'm dragging you back to your house by your hair. I wasn't born yesterday, you know, and I know for a fact you don't want to be anywhere near there right now, given your current state because trust me, I've been there. _Which_ is why I'm graciously offering you option number two: Come with me to Bucks and you can sleep off whatever it is that's got your panties in a bunch. 

"Either way, you're not staying out here in the cold. I've already got Shepard on my ass, I don't need Darry hunting me down too if he finds out I let his little brother get pneumonia. So, what's it gonna be?" 

* * *

Buck's was full of people, just like any other night, the music turned up so loud you had to talk to the guy next to you and the red lights bathed everything in a layer of warmth. 

People gave Ponyboy strange looks as they squeezed their way through the crowd. he followed Dallas upstairs and into a small bedroom. He had never seen where Dallas lives, but it's about what he had expected: Ripped curtains, broken blinds, a worn-down mattress on a rusted frame, a tattered blanket, and two small dressers, both littered with empty bottles and cigarette butts. 

He awkwardly made his way over to Dally's bed and sat down on the very edge. He watched as the older boy riffled through one of the dressers. "Here," he said throwing a flannel at Ponyboy's head. "Put that on. Your shivering is driving me up a wall." 

Ponyboy immediately threw to shirt away from him, letting it land on the wooden floor. 

"What is your problem, kid?" Dallas snapped. 

"Everything is my problem!" Ponyboy snapped back. "Okay? I'm tired of half the town treating us like dirt because we live on the wrong side of the tracks and put grease in our hair! I'm tired of Darry yelling at me for every little thing I do and I'm tired of looking at him and only seeing all of the things he had to give up for me! And I shouldn't even be here right now! When Darry finds out about thins he'll skin me alive, which is why I left in the first place! And now I'm stuck with _you_ while Conway fucking Twitty's stupid voice is vibrating through the floorboards!" Pony looked at Dallas, red-faced and chest heaving, waiting for the hood to break his nose and throw him out of the street. 

But Dally just smirked, "What? You don't dig Twitty?" 

"No." 

"What's that darlin'," Dallas said, cupping his hand behind his ear and stepping closer to Ponyboy. "How am I doin'—"

"Wha—"

" _Guess I'm doin' allllllright, except I can't sleep, and I cry from night 'till dawn..."_

Ponyboy rolled his eyes as Dallas continued his horrible Conway Twitty impression.

"Come on, Curtis. I know you know the words— _And what I'm tryyyyyying to say,"_ Dallas grabbed Pony's hand and pulled him to his feet, " _is I love you, and I miss you..."_

Ponyboy reluctantly started singing along with Dally after some further prodding.

" _Is I love you, and I miss you, and I'm so sorry that IIIII did you wrong."_

As the song went on Ponyboy relaxed more and more. The two boys went from singing in their most ridiculous country accents to no longer singing at all and letting the music lead them into a hypnotic sway. At some point, they drifted closer and closer until Pony's head was practically resting on Dally's shoulder. 

The song faded out, replaced by one with a much faster tempo, but neither boy moved away. 

"Dal...?" Ponyboy's soft voice broke through the small space between them. 

"Yeah, kid?" 

_(I think I love 'ya )_ _"_ I'm tired."

"...wait right here," Dallas said before pulling away from the younger boy and slid out of the room, leaving Ponyboy standing there and wondering what the hell just happened. 

Dallas was the most hardened JD Ponyboy had ever met. The only time he's ever seen him smile was when Dallas was about to knock someone's teeth out of their mouth. But tonight, he not only saw him smile but also laugh and sing. And what was with the close proximity and slow dancing? He was still reeling from the intensity of it all. Because, the thing was, he _liked it._ And it doesn't make any sense; Dallas used to scare the hell out of Ponyboy— still does if he's being honest with himself— but he also makes him feel... safe. 

He couldn't give much more thought to it because Dallas was back with two beers in hand, offering one to Pony. 

"Are you kidding? Darry would kill me if he found out! And then he'd kill you for giving it to me!" 

"Well, I won't tell if you won't. Besides, he'd kill you just for bein' here in the first place. Might as well make the most of it," he said, still holding out the bottle for Ponyboy to take. 

Pony worried his lip before tentatively taking the beer.

He drank a few sips, the silence between them growing tense. And maybe it was the unfamiliar effects of the alcohol in his system, or maybe he wasn't thinking straight because he was exhausted from the long, confusing night he's had, or maybe it was his stupid suicidal streak he seems to have that made him risk a question that he knew would probably end up with Dally's fist to his gut. 

"Why're you bein' so nice to me, Dal?"

He braced for impact but Dallas surprised him yet again tonight by remaining as cool as ever as if it was a normal thing to ask a rough hood who's near-constant state of being borders on homicidal.

" 'cause you're a part of the gang. And lord knows the gang is the closest thing I've ever had to a real family— you know, a family that actually gives a fuck. I may be a piece of shit, but I look out for my own." 

"Oh," Pony said lamely, not having expected the greaser to give a legitimate, honest answer. 

The smart thing would be for Pony to just leave it at that, maybe change the subject, maybe not say another word for the rest of the night. But then again, when has Ponyboy Curtis _ever_ done the smart thing? 

"How come you didn't just take me home? Why'd you let me come here and risk getting in bad with Darry?" 

"Maybe I'm just gettin' a 'lil soft on 'ya," Dallas said as he took a swig from the bottle, eyes never leaving Pony's. In fact, it felt like Dallas wasn't just looking at him, but instead sizing him up, waiting to see even the slightest reaction from Ponyboy, like he knew what he said was crossing into unfamiliar territory but he couldn't stop himself from testing the waters. 

Ponyboy blushed and stared at the floor like it was a Rembrandt and said in a small voice, "yeah, maybe I'm getting soft on you, too." After a few agonizing seconds and a tremendous amount of courage, Pony risked a small glance. 

He was met with Dallas Winston giving him his famous smirk— the smirk that girls fell in love with only to be left with broken hearts and trust issues. And as Dallas slowly made his way towards him, Ponyboy finally understood what Johnny meant when he called Dally 'gallant'. The thought was quickly cut short as two hands cupped his face and he couldn't do much else but lean into the kiss, deepen it even, and desperately grab onto the sleeves of Dally's leather jacket— not that there was anything else in the world that he would rather do. 

They had to break for air eventually and when they did, Ponyboy nuzzled his face into Dally's neck as if he belonged there. 

Dallas let out a chuckle. "You're going to be the death of me, kid." 

And the harsh reality of the world outside this tiny room came crashing down around them, both of them suddenly remembering what happens to people like them, especially in a town like this. The heavy silence weighed down around them, their eyes locking, both knowing what the other was thinking. 

After a second, Dally's face softened and he reached forward and ruffled Pony's hair. "C'mon, get some sleep. You've had a long night. Darry's not gonna like me too much if I return you dead on your feet."

Ponyboy grinned, knowing Dallas was just making an excuse and was really just trying to look out for him, but he did what he was told and laid down on the creaking mattress. Dallas turned off the two lamps that illuminated the room and Ponyboy watched the hood's shadow move towards the door.

"Dal?" Ponyboy said with urgency, suddenly sitting up in bed. Dallas didn't respond but even in the dark, Pony could tell he was listening. "Stay?"

"You sure that's such a good idea?" he asked, but he was already kicking off his boots and shedding his jacket. 

"I really don't care," Ponyboy said as Dallas climbed in next to the boy. 

"Oh," Dallas teased, "Look who's suddenly getting bold on me." As he laid his head down on the pillow, his tone turned from joking to serious. "You've got a real good head on 'ya, Ponykid, but you've gotta start using it or you'll find yourself in all sorts 'a trouble."

Ponyboy rolled over and nuzzled into Dally's neck once again and threw his arm across his chest. "I'm not worried..." Pony said, voice muffled and half-asleep. 

"Oh yeah? And why's that?" 

"Well, because they'll have to go through you first." 

"You're one cocky son-of-a-bitch, you know that?" Dallas chuckled. 

Ponyboy smiled, "I learned from the best." 


End file.
